"Inside Llewyn Davis," the hotly anticipated new film from the Coen Brothers (with a soundtrack co-produced by T Bone Burnett) officially opens in Nashville on December 20 - but we have your tickets to an early, invite-only screening this Wednesday, December 11.

Five lucky winners will receive a pair of tickets to the December 11 screening in Nashville, plus a copy of the "Inside Llewyn Davis" soundtrack.

Winners will be selected randomly, and will receive tickets via email and the "Davis" soundtrack via snail mail.

Unlike Dr. Gregory House, the brash and brainy character he portrayed on the hit TV medical drama “House,” British actor and musician Hugh Laurie wants to make sure he won’t ruffle any feathers when he comes to play his first-ever Nashville concert at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Sunday, October 13.

“An Englishman coming to Nashville and singing ‘The Tennessee Waltz’ - do people reach for rotten fruit and firearms, or do they take that in the proper spirit?” he asks The Tennessean.

Laurie talks of his impending Nashville visit with the utmost respect (“It's a holy city for music”), but it was his reverence for another musical town – New Orleans – that fueled this year’s “Didn’t It Rain,” his second collection of classic blues covers. It’s a sound that’s spoken to Laurie all his life, ever since “around age 7 or 8” when he first heard bluesman Willie Dixon.

Calling from Vancouver - where's he's filming the buzzed-about Disney film "Tomorrowland" - Laurie told us about that lifelong love of blues and classic country, and how his musical chops have found their way into his roles over the years.

We were thrilled to hear a couple of months back that you were coming to town – and making your Nashville debut.

It'll be more of a thrill for me. Not that that's the point of it. I mean, I realize the point of this exercise is not to give me a thrill, it's to give the audience a thrill, but nonetheless, I can't deny I'm very, very excited about the prospect.

Click the image for a gallery of Tim McGraw over the years (photo: Larry McCormack / The Tennessean)

A few weeks ago at his No. 1 party for “Highway Don’t Care,” Tim McGraw said he was about to start work on a new movie – he just couldn’t share the details.

And he’s still not talking.

But Billboard is reporting that the country singer has joined the cast of the up-coming Disney sci-fi film “Tomorrowland.” The movie, which will be McGraw’s ninth, stars George Clooney, and is scheduled to be in theaters around Christmas 2014.

The film, which will be directed by Brad Bird, also features Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy and Thomas Robinson.

Disney’s plot synopsis reads: "Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as 'Tomorrowland.'"

McGraw’s role in “Tomorrowland” hasn’t been specified, but he starts filming in Vancouver next week.

His publicist Mary Hilliard Harrington confirmed the report.

The singer’s current single “Southern Girl” is at No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Has Chicago gone Hollywood? That’s a question fans might have posed one month ago, when in the same week, the rock/pop hitmakers welcomed Al Pacino on stage at one of their concerts (to shoot a scene for an upcoming film) and acted alongside Larry David in his HBO movie “Clear History.”

But while founding member Robert Lamm (who penned hits including “Saturday in the Park” and “25 Or 6 to 4”) has had a little on-camera experience, the band doesn’t appear to have big screen aspirations.

“I was kind of relieved that there was not a script,” he tells the Tennessean, recalling the “History” shoot.

No, more than 40 years after forming, Chicago is still focused on making music – both by playing favorites for fans (as they’ll do with the Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn tonight through Saturday), and recording brand-new songs in a modular recording studio they bring on the road. They’ll release their latest single, “America,” on September 24.

The country singer is in the early stages of planning a feature-length film based on his new single, “I Can’t Change the World,” with the goal of having it screen in theaters. The fictional project is based on true stories and will start filming later this month.

Paisley is currently making the rounds at country radio in promotion of “I Can’t Change the World” and recently said the movie will take a hard look at today’s digital society and how its 24-hour news cycle fosters disconnection.

“This song is very important,” Paisley said in a radio interview. “It’s a really timely love song. It wouldn’t have worked 30 years ago as well as it will now. It’s written for the time we live in. Technology, instead of connecting us, it starts to separate us.”

Paisley said the movie follows the lives of several people as they learn how to live and process information in this highly digital age.

“Giving up isn’t the answer,” he said. “Hiding in your house isn’t the answer. Changing this planet is hard to do for any one person, but if you make a difference in any one else’s life, yours has meaning.”
Paisley said his team is in talks with Sony Pictures to get his film into multiplexes.

“I Can’t Change the World” is from Paisley’s current album “Wheelhouse,” which is in stores now.

McGraw celebrated the success of his latest No. 1 song “Highway Don’t Care” earlier this week and spilled the beans that he was going to start filming on location in about a month.

McGraw joked that he would be fired if he said too much about the movie and wouldn’t reveal its title or plot, but he did say that it wouldn’t be shot in Nashville.

“I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but it’s really a cool movie,” the singer says. “I think in a couple of weeks there’ll probably be more about it out, but right now I’d be shot if I said anything.”

In the meantime, McGraw is gearing up to return to Las Vegas for another run of shows with wife Faith Hill at The Venetian. He says that not only would the couple like to do another duet, they’re also looking forward to someday recording an entire album together. But whether it’s a new song or an album, it all comes down to finding the right material.

“We don’t want to just go cut a song to be cutting a song together,” he says. “I think that waters down what we do as a singing couple, and I don’t want to water that down. I think it’s about finding the right song as much as anything – that’s the biggest thing.”

He’s lit up Broadway, battled aliens with Will Smith in “Independence Day,” cracked jokes on “Will & Grace” and enjoyed decades of critical and commercial success with his music, from throwback big-band jazz and pop to funk inspired by his native New Orleans. He’ll also likely thrill a field full of Middle Tennessee fans on Friday, July 12, as he’s set to perform at Nashville’s Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel.

Yes, Harry Connick, Jr. is a proven, reliable pro in many areas — but carpentry is not one of them.

When the 45-year-old actor/musician tried to build a workbench with a carpenter friend, he found himself sorely lacking in the wood-working department. But Connick was inspired by his frustration and turned it into a song and title track of his new album, exploring the things that “Every Man Should Know.” (The answer: how to love and care for someone else.)

Connick called The Tennessean from the road to talk about what else inspires him — including the Nashville musicians he played with on “Every Man Should Know” — along with “American Idol,” paintball, family and why he enjoys staying busy.

NOTE: Because of inclement weather, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has canceled the July 5th live music and festivities, originally scheduled as a continuation of the July 4th celebration.

Previously reported: The last time actor/musician Chris Mulkey was in town, it was to be part of the upcoming made-in-Nashville film “Identical” with the likes of Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta. He’s returned this week to make his Music City debut with his band, Chris Mulkey and Deluxe.

They’ll kick off the second night of Nashville’s “Let Freedom Sing!” celebration Friday at the Lawn at Riverfront Park. Though Mulkey’s music will be new to a Nashville audience, it sounds like he’ll have something for everyone.

Mulkey’s acting resume goes all over the map as well, with meaty roles in several modern television classics: “Twin Peaks,” “24,” “Friday Night Lights” and most recently HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” He’ll soon be seen co-starring with Tom Hanks in the hotly anticipated “Captain Phillips,” set to hit theaters in October — but while the roles keep rolling in, Mulkey says he always makes time for music.

“It means a heck of a lot to me. I’ll bust my rear end to do it. I think I might put more energy into music than I do acting, in a way … it’s a labor of love.”

Chris Mulkey and Deluxe perform at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Lawn at Riverfront Park. A performance from Ten Out of Tenn. and fireworks will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

The new documentary "20 Feet from Stardom" tells a story that more than a few talented Music City residents can relate to - of the brilliant vocalists that have served as background singers for music's biggest names while also navigating their own solo careers.

The film begins a lengthy run at Nashville's Belcourt Theatre on Friday, and in the coming weeks, the Belcourt will host three post-screening discussions with some of Nashville's best-known background (and foreground) vocal talent:

Sunday, June 30, 5:25 p.m. - Post-screening discussion with a group of singers who spent many years on the road singing with Wynonna Judd, among others: Vicki Hampton, Bob Bailey, Kim Fleming, and Wendy Moten.

George Jones' planned farewell concert in November will now be a tribute concert. Jones passed away on April 26. Click the photo for a gallery of images from Jones' funeral last week at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. (Tennessean File Photo)

The life and career of late country star George Jones is set to be turned into a feature film, with Jones' wife, Nancy, serving as executive producer and consultant.

Production company 28 Entertainment plans to produce a film that depicts Jones' life "as a country music legend while battling his personal demons." The project has been in the works for years, and had Jones' blessing. In a release, Nancy Jones said writer/producer Dennis L. Baxter began crafting the story with the couple six years ago.

"Knowing George had input in this film and that it will be told the way he wanted it told, I feel we are in good hands to collaborate with 28 Entertainment as we move forward with production,” she said.

The Country Music Hall of Famer, known for hits including "He Stopped Loving Her Today," died April 26 in Nashville at age 81. An all-star tribute concert to the singer will take place at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 22.